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Graphic Novels Can be Non-Fiction Too

By Tinkerbell03





Maus as a Work of Non-Fiction:

     When it comes to categorizing the genre of graphic novels, placing them is not always as simple as one might think. It is not as easy as merely choosing if a graphic novel is fiction or non-fiction. Most people are under the impression that novels have to be fiction, but this is not always the case. Although the majority of novels are not actually true, there are still several novels that are about true events. Take Art Spiegelman’s Maus for example. The novel is practically a biography as the author writes about his father’s retelling of actual events that took place during the Holocaust and how he and his wife, Spiegelman’s mother, survived such horrible incidents. Although the characters are depicted as cartoon animals, primarily cats (Nazis) and mice (Jews), the facts and historical dealings are far from cartoon-like. Maus also addresses Spiegelman’s complicated relationship with his father and how they are both a product of their environment and difficult circumstances. How then, if the entire plot surrounds real life dealings, could this graphic novel be a work of fiction?


Simple Style ≠ Simple Subject

     Some people might make the case that because Maus is constructed in the form of comics, that the story then becomes a work of fiction regardless if the plotline is factual. However, Spiegelman’s decision to create Maus as a graphic novel is a major factor in the novel’s success and readability. In Understanding Comics by Scott Mcloud, the author explains that the simplification in a cartoon allows the audience to better identify with a character or subject. A simple style does not always mean a simple story line. This is exactly the case when considering Maus. The subject of the Holocaust is not an easy topic to read or write about. It is an incredibly difficult and gruesome part of history that many people have a hard time acknowledging. However, Spiegelman’s decision to write Maus in the art form that he did allows a very challenging topic to become more approachable. The cartoon cats and mice are a familiar icon even if what they are representing is more foreign. Together, Speigelman created the perfect combination of both openness and detachment that takes a problematic part of history and makes it easier to tackle.


Maximizing Minimalism

     Although the term “non-fiction graphic novel” might sound like an oxymoron and appears rather contradictory, it can actually describe many graphic novels, specifically when exploring Maus. Spiegelman’s minimalistic artwork in his graphic novel really help to emphasize the subject matter. All of the pictures are in black and white and the cartooning is rather straight forward and simplistic. The lack of color aids in setting the gloomy mood as well as creates a classic old timey feel. Maus has many moments where it flashes back to the past and then jumps back to the present spanning time, space, and location. The author asks his father questions about his experiences in Polond and as the questions are answered, the reader is transitioned back in time. However, another inquiry or situation might arise that interrupts the storyteller and the audience is brought right back to the present in New York. 

     Scott Mcloud explains that there is a strange relationship between time that is depicted in comics and how it is perceived by the reader. Time and space are on the same side and work together to create the setting of the story. This can be experienced throughout Maus and is depicted in the picture below. The framed panels show the events that took place in the past and are kept separate from the events happening in the present. The two open images bring the reader back to the current situation and show the conversations happening between the author and his father. This is yet another way that Spiegelman uses subtle and basic representations to move the story along. Due to the historical and first hand experience Spiegelman’s father has as a Holocaust survivor, I feel that Maus is most definitely a work of non-fiction, and the medium in which it is delivered is both beneficial and necessary for the audience as well as the author.



Example of Flashbacks in Maus (pg. 14)

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